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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I admit, I picked this book because it won the Pulitzer. However, my husband read it before me and raved about it. I was still skeptical because I know he likes military/war books in general, so I thought there was a chance I might not like it. I was afraid it would just be a sort of play-by-play of Gettysburg. But it was so much more! Shaara really got into how the men were feeling, how the officers made very difficult decisions, and how honor and decency were integral to that culture. In the end, Shaara voices Lee as saying something like, as long as the men will go on, we (the officers) will go on. This was interesting to me because Shaara was essentially saying that, even while the war was being fought, the officers may not have had a good reason to fight or known why they were there in the first place, but the soldiers did and every man's reason was different. Shaara drove home the idea that the war was really about slavery, which is something historians still argue about today. The book was well-written and represented the challenges of both sides. If you like Civil War history or novels, this is a must-read.
A seriously good book! The narrative is powerful, the story is so tragic. I listened to it and the reader was amazing. I was there in the book!
One of the greatest historical fiction books ever written. Michael Shaara makes Gettysburg a personal story. He stays away from black and white judgments of the North vs. South and makes the reader really understand what a personal war the Civil War was - brother vs. brother, neighbor vs. neighbor.
Majestic work describing what it was like to be on the ground during the American Civil War. It’s most fascinating moments describe the opinions and perspectives of people living through the time period, along with their opinions and emotions. The author meticulously researched the Civil War and especially read many diaries to understand the people involved. This Pulitzer Prize winning book is his attempt to explain to himself what it must have been like through their eyes, filling in the blanks of their accounts.
A wonderful eye into the time period.
A wonderful eye into the time period.
Read earlier this year after a visit to Gettysburg. Shaara does an amazing job narrating from multiple perspectives and bringing to life this pivotal moment in history. I feel like typically these kinds of books can be incredibly dry, but he developed the historical figures with depth and interesting qualities throughout. His method also humanizes the people involved, and helps you to see that they are real people with real imperfect and flawed motivations.
My only complaint is the way he portrays General Lee. Basically it is almost an entirely positive portrayal of his leadership. While undoubtedly is a key figure, it seemed a bit of hero-worship to me, and I am extremely skeptical of efforts to portray Confederate leaders as heroes. However, except for this case, he does a solid job writing about the people as real humans rather than putting them on a pedestal.
My only complaint is the way he portrays General Lee. Basically it is almost an entirely positive portrayal of his leadership. While undoubtedly is a key figure, it seemed a bit of hero-worship to me, and I am extremely skeptical of efforts to portray Confederate leaders as heroes. However, except for this case, he does a solid job writing about the people as real humans rather than putting them on a pedestal.
The Civil War is not really my thing. But, I must admit that I was pretty invested by the time I reached the end of the book.
This is as unique of an approach to depicting the battle of Gettysburg as I have ever seen. Instead of giving a full narration of the battle, the words on the page are that of the characters, not of the author. At least that is how I felt. The characters tell this story and they feel alive and real.
Shaara must have had an immense passion for what he wrote. There is not a single sentence or paragraph that doesn’t feel cared for and thought about. Everything is in its place and it all flows cohesively. This book is #2 of his Civil War Trilogy. I didn’t even know there were two others until I near finished it.
The battle of Gettysburg has been on my radar for quite some time. It felt like I lived there part-time as a kid, as I was homeschooled and there is no better way to learn history than to walk through it. Even as I thought I was familiar with the characters, or at least knew something about them all, this book opened up a whole world of realness and added life-like qualities to gentleman who are long gone.
I really enjoyed this even though it definitely wouldn’t be something I would go out of my way to pick up off the shelves in a library or bookstore. It was out of my comfort zone and it seems that's never a bad place to be.
I plan on reading #1 and #3 as well.
I will give this a 7/10.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best books I have ever read, and the reason I became a Civil War addict. I devoured everything I could find on the War after reading this, and it really opened my eyes to the realities of war.